Wheel-lock.



m J m Z W/Zi I G. E. BRIDGES.

WHEEL LOCK.

APPLICATION IILBD-MAR.11, 1912.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

\llry ll r CHARLES E. BRIDGES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TOBURGESS-NORTON COM- PANY, OF GENEVA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFILLINOIS.

WHEEL-LOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 11, 1912. Serial No. 683,139.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CrIARLEs E. BRIDGES, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and their axles or spindles, such meansbeingmore especially designed for securing in place wheels on smallvehicles and light machinery of various sorts, as for example, babycarriage wheels and wheels of childrens go-carts, and the like.

The invention relates more particularly to the combination with a wheeland an axle spindle of a wheel-lock, consisting of a single piece ofmetal designed to be secured to or engaged with such spindle near itsend, in a manner to retain the wheel thereon, and to be applied to theaxle by merely bending parts of such piece of metal, as hereinafter morefully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings-Figure 1 is an axial section through a wheel of thekind described and claimed in my co-pending application Serial Number683,1t0, filed March 11, 1912, showing the same inplace upon the end ofan axle spindle and my improved wheel-lock in engagement with such axlespindle to retain the wheel in place. Fig. 2 is a similar sectionthrough the hub portion of such wheel, showing the wheellock disengagedfrom the axle spindle but in position for engagement therewith. Fig. 3is a radial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the directionindicated by the arrow. Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation showing thecomplete wheel-lock detached from the axle spindle. Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar'to Fig. 3, but showing a modified form of the wheel-lock. Fig. 6is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing another modified form ofconstruction.

As shown in said drawings, in Figs. 1 to 4: inclusive, 10 indicates acomplete wheel, comprising a rim and spokes and a hub 11, which lattermay be of practically any preferred form, but is here shown as tubularand of the particular construction illustrated in my copendingapplication abovementioned. The hub is rotatively mounted upon an axlespindle 14, although for the purpose of employing the improved wheellook here shown, it is not necessary that the wheel be rotativelymounted on the axle spindle; the wheel-lock being equally suited forsecuring in place a wheel which is nonrotative on its axle. The purposeof the wheel-lock herein shown is merely to keep the wheel from slidingoff the end of the axle, and the same is not adapted to prevent relativerotation between such parts. The improved wheel-lock here showncomprises a circular cup-shaped member or cap 16, having integral,peripheral extensions or arms 18, 18. The cap 16 is shown as made ofrounded or dome-shape, but the special form thereof is notmaterial,provided it be recessed. on its inner face to receive the outer end ofthe axle, over which it is placed. The arms 18, 18, when the device isin readiness for application to the axle, are bent toward each otherthrough an angle of approximately 45. Said arms are of such length thatwhen bent toward each other at an angle, as stated, their ends will belocated at a distance apart approximately equal to the full diameter ofthe axle spindle. In the portion of such spindle which extends beyondthe hub of the wheel, when the latter is in place, is formed an annulargroove 20, and it is designed that when the wheel has been placed uponits spindle the lock 16 may be placed in a posit-ion with the arms 18surrounding the spindle and with their inner ends in substantially theplane of the groove 20, such endsthen being in engagement with the faceof the hub 11, as shown in Fig. 2. The cap being in such position, ahammer blow upon its outer face or other suitable pressure applied uponit, will force the body of the same toward the wheel with the effect ofbending the arms 18 farther toward each other, whereby they will enterthe groove 20 and will all lie in the same plane with each other and insubstantially the plane of such groove, as shown in Fig. 1. The arms arepreferably made of such length that when in the position described, theywill enter the groove a suflicient distance to extend entirely to thebottom of the same, whereby the wheel-lock will fit tightly in placewithout any looseness of the parts.

It is evident that when the wheel-lock is so placed in position upon anaxle spindle the end of the hub will bear against each arm 18 throughoutthat part of its length which extends beyond the groove 20, and that anyforce tending to pull the wheel from the axle would exert a shearingforce tending to shear off the inner ends of such arms between the endof the hub and the top of the groove, whereby it will be seen that avery great force would be required to pull the wheel off in such manner,and that the wheel-lock is therefore capable of withstanding a greatamount of side thrust of the wheel hub against it. On the other hand ifit is desired to remove the wheel-lock,

this may be done by inserting a screw driver or similar implement underthe edge of the dome-shaped top 16, between two of the arms 18, andprying it off, which action will result in bending the arms at theirouter ends only whereby they may be easily pulled from the groove 20 andremoved from the axle to free the wheel.

The form of device illustrated in Fig. 5 is similar in all respects tothat above described except that in the end of each arm 25 is cut acurved notch, of the same, or substantially the same radius as thebottom of the groove 20 whereby such arms may extend farther into thegroove and more or less completely encircle that portion of the shaftwhich lies at the bottom of the groove.

The form of device illustrated in Fig. 6 is also similar in all respectsto that illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4:, inclusive, except that each of thearms 30 of such modified form is made with its corners cut oildiagonally, and in the end of such arm is cut an arcshaped notch in thesame manner as in the 1 Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentsr device shown inFig. 5. It will be seen, therefore, that the arms may be made wider thanthose shown in Fig. 5 without ovenlapping at their ends, and that theyma also extend to the bottom of the groove Q throughout the entirecircumference of suc groove.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an axle spindle provided with an annular groovenear its end, and a wheel on said axle spindle, of a wheel-lockcomprising a metal cap, the concave face of which is directed inwardlyand is adapted to receive the end of the axle spindle, said cap beingprovided with integral marginal arms directed toward the axle andengaging said groove at their ends.

2. The combination with an axle spindle provided with an annular groovenear its end, and a wheel on said axle spindle, of a wheel-lockcomprising a metal cap provided with integral, marginal arms directedtoward the axle and engaged at their ends withsaid groove, said armsbeing located in a plane perpendicular to the axle.

8. A wheel-lock consisting of a sheet metal cap provided with aplurality of integral, straight arms; said arms being of such lengththat, when bent into the same plane, their ends will approximately meeteach other.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I aifixmysignature in the presence of two witnesses, this 5th day of March A. D.1912. u 7

CHARLES E. BRIDGES.

WVitnesses EUGENE O. WAUN, V GEORGE E. WILKINS.

Washington, D. G.

